Slab-sawing machine



(No Model.)

A. W. GOODBLL.

SLAB SAWING MACHINE. No. 559,524. Patented May 5, .1896.

L my E IM .a -I n nm W n v .T m amu .H @NVE 9 ll m zulu 2.a. im. WAM.www/m@ M W9 S n.

'NITED STATES' ArnNr rrrcn..

SLAB-SAWING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 559,524, dated May 5,1896.

Application iiled January ll, 1896. Serial No. 575,111. (No model.)

.To @ZZ whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, AUSTIN WV. GOODELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSlab-Sawing Machines; and I do declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make andl use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to thefigures of reference marked thereon, which form` a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in slab-sawing machines, and Iconstruct a machine which will work into merchantable shape the slabsheretofore cut from logs and cast aside as useless because no machinehad been constructed which would saw a slab, owing to the irregular formof its outer side and its varying thickness and shape. I am now able toutilize this waste material, and thereby greatly economize lumber-stock.I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, iu

which- Figure l is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a top viewof the machine. Fig. 3

is an elevation of the feed end of the ma-` chine. Fig. et is a partialelevation of the machine on line A B, Fig. 2, looking in the directionof the arrow. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the fence-rollers'. of thefence-rollers. Fig. 7 is an'end view of the feed-rolls seen in Figs. l,2, and

Similar figures of reference are used for similar parts throughout theviews.

My machine-frame is rectangular in general shape, and composed ofuprights l 2 3 4., to which are secured the lower horizontal members 5 67 8 and upper horizontal members 9 10 ll l2.A A table 13 rests upon thehorizontal pieces l1 l2 and extends somewhat beyond each end of theframing, the greater extension being at the feeding end. Its inner edgepreferably coincides with the inner edge of 9 and its outer edge extendsslightlybeyond ll l2. A circular splittingsaw 14., secured to an arbor15, is carried by a bed-plate 16, having journal-bearings 17 18, allbeing secured on framing 9 10 toward Fig. Gis a top view` the left endof the machine. The saw 14 is secured to the arbor l5 by washers 19 anda nut 2O in the usual way. The saw lli projects above the table I3 andthrough a slit 2l, cut for the purpose. A pulley 22 is fixed upon thearbor l5 between the bearings 17 18, and it receives the driving-belt23. At the outer end of the arbor l5, opposite the saw 14.., is athree-step cone-pulley 24, carrying a belt 25, which drives thethree-step cone-pulley 26 on the cross feed-shaft 27, carried inbearings 28 29. The shaft 27 has a bevel-gear 30 beyond the bearing 29,the shaft 27 extending beyond the gear 3() and having a feather 3l setinto the shaft, over which the gear 30 slides, and by which it is madeto revolve with the shaft 27. A collar 32, abutting the bearing 28,secures the shaft 27 from end movement whenf the gear 30 moves away fromthe bearing 29.

Along the lower 'front of my machine I place a longitudinal feed-shaft33, having upon its left end a bevel-gear 34., engaging the gear 30, andsecured in contact therewith by a forked yoke 35, which embraces the hubof 30 in a groove 36, and at its other extremity it is attached to themovable support 37 secured in a circular pocket in the bearing 29, 37also having a shaft-bearing 38 pivotally supported within its outer end.

The shaft 33 passes along the lower side of the front of the machine,and at its righthand end (the feed end of the machine) it is supportedin a carrier 39, secured to a bracket 4.0, which is fastened to theframe-upright l.

In 39 provision is made to adjust the height of the shaft at this end,thereby incliningit by means of the screws 4.1 4.2, while a slot 4.3 inthe bracket 4() permits side adjustment. The support 37, carrying theleft end of the shaft 33, is also arranged for the side adjust ment ofthe shaft 33, thus enabling the shaft 33 to be carried toward or fromthe machineframe and its right end to be elevated, as desired. Thefeed-shaft 33 has attached to it, near its right end, two yokes 44. 45,each of which embrace and are carried on the shaft at two points 46 47and 4:8 49. Within the IOO yokes are bevel-gears 50 5l, secured on theshaft 33. The yokes 44 45 have upper bearings 52 53 and` lower bearings54. 55, in which are secured the upright revolving feed-shafts 56 57,having bevel-gears 58 59 secured to their lower ends and engaging gears50 51. The shafts 56 57 at their upper ends are rectangular, this partbeing above the table 13 and carrying the feed-rolls 60 61, which aremade in sections, and the periphery of which is toothed, as seen in Fig.7. Adjustable brackets 62 63 are secured to frame 9 and project outwardand against the right side of the upper end of the yokes 44 45. Thesebrackets resist the thrust caused in feeding and are adjustable toenable them to be kept in contact when the shaft 33 is elevated at itsouter end, and the yokes 44 45 and feedrolls 60 61 are thereby tilted tothe left, this being necessary to give the rolls a draw-down to thetable 13 on the material theyare feeding to the saw.

The feed-rolls 60 61 are divided longitudinally to enable their beingreversed in order that the rolls may be continuous or not, the better tocause them to take hold of the irregular-shaped slab being fed in. Oneor more of the longitudinal parts may be used or omitted. (See change,as in Fig. 3, where the slab being fed in is shown in dot-ted lines.) Atthe upper end of yokes 44 45 are attached brackets 65 66. Swivelinglysecured in brackets 65 66 and also in the yokes 44 45 are blocks 67 68,which carry the outer end of the equalizer-screws 69 70, the screwspreferably being square at their outer ends to receive a wrench orhand-wheel used in turning the screws. The screws 69 7 0 at their innerends, about midway across the machine, are screwed into swivel-nuts 7172, pivoted in the ends of the double equalizing-bar 73, which is heldat its center by a rod 74, bifurcated at its outer end and entering theupper ends of a double arm 75, fulcrumed on a bracket 76, attached tothe framing 10. The lower end of the double arm 75 is broadened and hassecured thereto a counterweighted hand-lever 77, the handle of the leverbeing on the feed-shaft side of the machine, and a counterweight 78being carried on the lever beyond the opposite side of the machine.

Brackets 128 80 are attached to the framing 81 82 and stop one end ofthe double equalizing-bar 73 when the screw at the opposite end isturned to move its feed-roll outward. The equalizing mechanism and thecounterweight forces the feed-rolls 60 61 up to the slab being fed, andalso permits the feedrolls to be forced out of perpendicular, or one toremain upright and the other at an inclination, or various modificationsfrom such positions to suit the varying contour of the slab being fed,and the adjustment, while automatic, and the pressure on the rollsequalized can also be modiiied by the operator by applying a hand-wheelor wrench to the outer end of the screws 69 70. At right angles to thetable 13 is the fence 79. Standing upright, and parallel with the saw14, the fence is supported by brackets 83 84, set to have a slidingmovement on supports 85 86. Secured to the supports are screws 87 88,having gears 89 90, attached to their outer ends, their inner ends beingscrewed into the brackets 83 84.

At right angles to the screws 87 88 is a shaft 95, running parallel withthe outer side of the machine and the fence above the framing andsecured in bearings 91 92, formed on the supports 85 86. At the bearingsare gears 93 94. Secured to the shaft and at its righthand end ahand-wheel 96 is secured. By turning the hand-wheel the gears and screwsrevolve and the fence is moved toward or from the saw. The fence gagesthe thickness the stuff will be sawed. To prevent the stuff being fed tothe saw from causing too much friction as it moves along the fence, Ihave provided rollers 97 98 99 100, secured in a frame 101, which isfastened to the back of the fence, each feed-roller 60 61 having a nestof rollers 97 98 99 100 opposite it, as seen at 102 103, Fig 2. Each setof rollers runs upon a central shaft 104. My object in making therollers separate rather than in one is to avoid cutting away the fenceto permit their insertion, as it will be seen by my invention the fenceis intact between each two rollers at 105, and it therefore preservesmost of its original strength, especially so as it is reinforced bytheframe 101 at its back.

Opposite the saw, at 106, the face of the fence is depressed, and adelivery-roll 107, which may have its periphery either smooth or fluted,is attached to its left outer end, its function being to catch the stuffafter it has passed the feed-rolls and pull it by and away from the saw.The face of the delivery-roll 107 stands out ush with the undepressedline of the fence 79. The deliveryeroll 107 is attached to the fence 79by a bracket 108, causing the roll and fence to move in conjunctiontoward or from the saw.

The delivery-roll 107 is mounted upon a perpendicular shaft 109,carrying a gear 110 at its lower end working into a gear 111 on ahorizontal shaft 112. As the fence 79 and its roller 107 are movable,and as the shaft 33 from which the roller 107 is driven is also movable,it is necessary to secure the gears 110 111 in mesh or working contact,and to do so I make grooves 113 in 110 and 114 in 111, into which Iinsert forks 115 116. The fork 116 rests on the hub of 111 and issecured to bracket 108 at its upper end. Fork 115 enters groove 113 of110 and carries it in perpendicular position. The gear 111 is free tomove lengthwise of the shaft 112, but is controlled in revolving by afeather 117, let into the shaft 112 and gear 111. At the outer end ofthe shaft 112 is a gear 118, running into a gear 119, secured to theshaft 33, and this construction enables the delivery-roll 107 to be runat the correct speed. As the shaft 33 may be moved, the gears 118 119must be secured to work together whenever IOO IIO

`the shaft 33 or fence 79 is moved, sometimes in opposite ways, and topermit this movement I have provided a yoke 120, which embraces theshaft 33 outside of. the gear 118,

and then passing around 118 and being forked over 118 at 121 continuesbeyond the gear and embraces theshaft at 122, where it is secured to abracket 123, extending out from the frame 2. The inner end of the shaft112 is carried in a bracket 124, securedto frame 6.

Opposite the roll 107 is a spreader 125. This separates the sawed piecefrom the slab after it has passed the saw, and also prevents pinchingthe saw and. affords a seat for the delivery -roll to press the sawedmaterial against, thus enabling the delivery-roll to move the sawedpiece along and away from the saw.

The operation of my machine is as follows: The fence being set for anyrequired thickness of stuff, a slab sawed'" from a log and having onefiat side (the side cut from the log) is placed with its flat sideagainst the fence. If the slab is too thick to pass under the feed-rollsas then set, the lower shaft 33 may be set outward, or by pressing downon the hand-lever 77 the feed-rolls will be swung outward, or the screws69 70 may be turned to throw the feed-rolls outward, when the slab willbe fed in by the feed-rolls 60 61 to the saw 14, the screws 69 70, theequalizingbar 7 3, and counterweight 78 causing the feed-rolls 60 61 toconform in position to the contour of the slab and continue to feed it,and the delivery-roll 107 will take away the sawed piece. The feed-rolls60 61 being in longitudinal sections may be changed, as alreadydescribed, to more readily take hold of the slab to be sawed.

Various thicknesses may be sawed by manipulating the hand-wheel 96,which moves the fence 7 9, and its delivery-11011107, and its drivingmechanism. The shaft 33 may be elevated at the feed end of the machineand thereby cant the feed-rolls 60 61 to get more bite. IVedging andirregularly-rounded slabs and those having knots and projections upontheir outer surface may with equal facility be fed to the saw, therebysaving and utilizing a vast amount of usefuland valuable lumberheretofore destroyed. To enable the operator to quickly and accuratelyset the fence to saw any desired thickness, I have constructed a scale126 on supports 85 S6, and have placed an index or pointer 127 onbrackets 83 84. This scale and index are in full View of the operatorwhen manipulating the hand-wheel 96 and enable him to quickly andcorrectly set the machine to secure any desired thickness lof stuff.

A mechanic skilled in the art after reading my specification mightmodify my construction to accomplish the same results; but such modifiedconstruction would be within the scope of my invention. Therefore I donot claim the precise construction shown and described; but

from a fixed point, a driven delivery-roll. at-

tached to the fence and movable therewith, a depression in the fenceopposite the saw, and feed-rolls to press and feed the material -againstthe fence, said feed-rolls beingI held in position and contact with thematerial being fed by a counterweightv acting automaticallyso each rollmay have equal pressure and assume a position farther from or nearer tothe fence, to roll over uneven material, and means to move thefeed-rolls by hand mechanism when desired, substantially as described.

3. In aslab-sawing machine, asaw therefor, a fence therefor havingattached thereto a delivering mechanism suited to shifting positions ofthe fence, feed-rolls therefor mounted upon shafts normallyperpendicular, but pivotally supported from a feed-shaft arranged foroutward and inward moving7 means for raising or lowering the end of thefeed-shaft nearest the feed end of the machine, and means for connectingthe feed-shaft to the cross feed-shaft for such adjustment and themaintenance of their driving-contact under such adjustment,substantially as specified.

4. In a slab-sawin g machine, a saw therefor, a movable fence therefor,feed-rolls therefor swingingly and tiltingly supported, and means tosupport the feed-rolls against the pressure produced in feeding againstthe saw, by brackets adj ustably attached to the frame for that purpose,substantially as described.

5. In a slab-sawing machine, a saw therefor, a movable fence therefor, adelivery-roll attached thereto, driven from the feed-shaft, and aspreader opposite .the roll and in line with the edge of the saw,substantially as described.

G. In a slab-sawing machine, a saw thereto attached, feeding mechanismagainst a fence automatically and mechanically adjustable thereto, adriven delivery-roll for the fence driven from the feed-roll mechanism,means to adjust the fence for different thicknesses of material to besawed, and a scale and index to guide the operator in setting andadjusting the fence to the saw, substantially as described.

7. In a slab-sawing machine, a saw therefor secured on an arbor mountedin bearings seated upon a bed-plate secured to the machine-frame, adriving-pulley on the arbor between the bearings, a table, a slit in theIOO IIO

table through Which the saw is inserted, a fence at one side of thetable movably attached, a fluted delivery-roll at the back edge of thesaw, a spreader back of the saW, in line therewith, and opposite thedelivery-roll, substantially as specified.

8. In a slab-sawing machine, a saw, a frame, a table, a fence, cross andlongitudinal feedshafts therefor, forked yokes doubly embracing andresting upon one of the feed-shafts, for swinging motion, gears to drivethe feedroll shafts, Within the yokes, from the feedshaft, a carrier forone end of the feed-shaft having means for elevating and securing inelevation the feed-shaft, and at the other end of the shaft a bearingcentrally suspended for oscillation to permit the elevation of theopposite end of the shaft, feed-rolls upon the shafts seated on theyokes, the feed-rolls being seated upon rectangular seats formedtherefor, brackets secured at the upper end of the yokes at one side,swiveling blocks secured in the brackets and yokes, equalizingscrewssecured in the swiveling blocks having means for hand adjustment outsideof the swiveling block, and at their inner end connection With anequalizing-beam and counterweight, substantially as specified.

9. In a slab-sawing machine, a saw, a table, a frame, a movable fenceand a driven delivery-roll thereto attached, feed-shafts, feedrollshafts swingingly attached thereto,means to press the feed-rollsautomatically and by hand against the material being operated upon, andstops secured to the framing to limit the movement of theequalizing-lever, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

AUSTIN W. GOODELL. Witnesses:

GEo. W. REED, R. C. WRIGHT.

